Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley holds the championship trophy after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC's bookend wins another hit to SEC's case as best CFB conference

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Dec 28, 2024 11:25 AM ET

Maybe USC should have joined the SEC instead.

Late Friday, the Trojans ended their first season as a Big Ten member with a win in Las Vegas against a supposedly better SEC team. Just look at all those future NFL draft picks.

Sound familiar?

After beating LSU (8-4) in Week 1, USC (7-6) reminded everyone once again that games aren't won and lost because of recruiting rankings and Mel Kiper Jr.'s NFL draft board as it came from behind to beat Texas A&M (8-5), 35-31, in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Per CBS Sports, Texas A&M entered the game as a 3.5-point favorite.

USC erased a 24-7 deficit and scored the winning touchdown on a 10-play, 75-yard drive with under two minutes remaining.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava found wide receiver Kyle Ford for a seven-yard touchdown with eight seconds left after Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed gave the Aggies a late lead, 31-28.

MARCEL REED DOES IT HIMSELF

TEXAS A&M TAKES A 31-28 LEAD WITH 1:49 LEFT IN THE GAME‼️ pic.twitter.com/xBlLKyv3Ss
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2024

Certified A&M Moment pic.twitter.com/4y3gmgHSqG
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) December 28, 2024

The Aggies were a win over Texas in the regular season finale away from playing Georgia in the SEC championship game.

USC's win is a big blow to the SEC's claim of being the best college football conference. While going 2-0 against the SEC, USC was 4-5 in Big Ten play.

The Trojans finished the regular season 10th in the Big Ten standings, while the Aggies were ninth and the Tigers fifth in the SEC standings.

USC's wins over the two SEC programs proved the Big Ten's depth. Last weekend's College Football Playoff First Round proved it's also stronger near the top.

Ohio State (11-2) outclassed Tennessee (10-3) in a battle of the Big Ten's No. 4 and SEC's No. 3 teams, 42-17.

The Big Ten has three teams remaining in the CFP field — Ohio State, Penn State (12-2) and Oregon (13-0) — while the SEC is down to two — Texas (12-2) and Georgia (11-2).

If the favorites win in the quarterfinals, the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl semifinal games will be a pair of Big Ten-SEC matchups (Ohio State-Texas and Penn State-Georgia).

Based on what we've seen this year — including USC's bookend wins to the 2024 season — the SEC is more vulnerable than we've been led to believe.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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